Delta, Southwest mid-pack in latest airline survey

Delta Air Lines ranks fifth out of 12 carriers in a new airline ranking, this one by credit score website WalletHub.

That’s on par with Delta’s ranking a year ago in the same study. Atlanta-based Delta is the largest carrier at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines came in sixth in this year’s WalletHub ranking, which considers everything from delays, cancellations, mishandled baggage, denied boardings, complaints, animal deaths, losses and injuries in federal data, to leg room, entertainment, wi-fi and refreshments.

Southwest is the second-largest carrier in Atlanta.

At the top of the ranking is Alaska Airlines, followed by Virgin America, JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines — all smaller than Delta and Southwest. Virgin America is merging with Alaska, with Alaska planning to retire the Virgin America name in 2019.

Behind Delta and Southwest are Spirit, regional carriers SkyWest and ExpressJet, United, Frontier and American. SkyWest and ExpressJet operate flights under the Delta Connection name.

Another key airline ranking is due out next week, the Airline Quality Rating by researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Wichita State University.

Delta accounted for 81 percent of the market at Hartsfield-Jackson in 2016. Southwest had 9.7 percent of the market. Other airlines operate far fewer routes from Hartsfield-Jackson. Virgin America and Hawaiian Airlines do not serve it all.

JetBlue launched service to Atlanta last week with a single route to Boston.